To some, writing is simply a skill that you learn in school and then put to use whenever you feel like it. For others, it is a passion that they pursue as a career or a hobby. However, there is a variety of writing that falls under the category of “creative writing”, which we will define as follows:
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary
To start with the dictionary, the noun “creative writing” is defined as “the use of words and/or phrases in a new and creative way”. The adjective “creative” is also defined as “taking a fresh look at something” or “of, relating to, or characterized by originality and inventiveness”. So essentially, when you write creatively, you are using words and/or phrases in a way that is new and/or unique to the piece. In addition, the work must be characterized by originality and inventiveness.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary
The above definitions are from the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which itself is not a medical dictionary but rather one of the most popular general dictionaries in the world. Now that you know the general meaning of creative writing, let’s move on to some more specific definitions.
Poetry
One of the most well-known types of creative writing is poetry. While the definition of poetry itself can be quite broad – some would even argue that a work of art is a form of poetry – most often when people mention the word “poetry” they are referring to a specific type of poetry: traditional or classical poetry. This is the kind of poetry that is based on rules and is largely unrhymed. It usually contains 14 lines (or slightly less, according to some traditional forms) of iambic tetrameter (four-foot, iambic tetrameter), where each line has four stresses (i.e. syllables) and follows a strict pattern. This kind of poetry can be traced back to the 17th century (mostly to the work of English poets like Edmund Spenser and Alexander Pope) and has been extremely popular ever since. Today, traditional or classical poetry is still widely read and appreciated across the world.
Fiction
Fiction is another type of creative writing that has existed for centuries and is still widely read and appreciated today. Essentially, fiction is any story that is made up mostly of words. A tale, a novel, a short story, a play, a movie or TV show – all of these are types of fiction. Like poetry, fiction is often characterized by its use of language and its tendency to tell a story rather than directly state facts. The 19th century French author François Coppéliau coined the word “fiction” when he introduced the concept of the “story factor” into the arts, asserting that a work’s artistic merit could be determined by the degree to which it engaged the reader through the story it told.
While modern fiction can vary in style and content, it typically contains three parts: (1) an opening (or introductory) section; (2) a middle section (often called the “action” or the “main scene”); and (3) a closing (or concluding) section.
The opening section of a piece of fiction can be roughly equivalent to a poem’s opening; the middle section to the poem’s or fiction’s main scene; and the closing section to the poem’s or fiction’s conclusion. These parts to a story can be both exciting and dramatic, or they can be comedic or tragic depending on the author’s or artist’s intent. Most importantly, the language in these sections must be interesting, vivid, and easy to understand.
Drama
Drama is yet another type of creative writing that has existed for centuries and that is still popular today. Essentially, drama is a form of fiction or creative nonfiction that is designed to be performed rather than simply read. Like poetry and fiction, drama is characterized by its use of language and its tendency to tell a story. This story, however, can be either realistic or fantastical in nature. As with other forms of fiction, drama often follows a three-part format consisting of an opening, a middle, and a closing section (the exact equivalent of a poem’s, fiction’s, or creative nonfiction’s opening, main scene, and conclusion).
While modern drama can vary in style and content, it typically contains three elements: (1) an action, or turning point, (2) language that is simple, clear, and interesting, and (3) a setting that is vivid and makes the language come alive.
An action or turning point in a play can be something as dramatic as a murder or an assault, or it can be a more subtle event like a kiss or an object’s being moved around. It is the job of the playwright (the individual writing the play) to make sure that each section of his or her play has an appropriate and dramatic turning point. This point, in turn, should be followed by events that are surprising and/or unusual in nature, or at least unusual for the characters to experience.
Nonfiction
Nonfiction is another type of creative writing that has existed for centuries and is still popular today. Essentially, nonfiction is any report, essay, or other work that is mostly factual in nature rather than fiction. For example, a biography, a political analysis, an autobiography, a magazine or newspaper article – all of these are types of nonfiction. Like fiction, nonfiction is often characterized by its language and its tendency to tell a story about real events or people rather than make up fictitious ones—although this is not always the case. In addition, like poetry and drama, the language in nonfiction needs to be interesting, vivid, and easy to understand.
Some sources, such as the Oxford Dictionary of English, identify “nonfiction” as a combination of facts and opinions. However, this is not consistent with most widely used definitions of the word, which do not include the opinion or subjective element. Regardless, there is no question that nonfiction is an immensely popular form of creative writing. Since the majority of the sources that we use today to learn about history, geography, science, and other subjects are, in one way or another, nonfiction, it would be a missed opportunity not to learn how to write well.
Alternative Forms Of Creative Writing
There are many more types of creative writing than the ones discussed above. For example, one could write a haiku, a limerick, a sonnet, or even an ode. However, these forms of creative writing are generally not as popular or well-known as the ones discussed above. There are, in fact, entire books or articles dedicated to exploring creative writing in other genres, such as slam poetry, which we will discuss below.
Slam Poetry
Slam poetry is a form of poetry that emerged in the early 1980s and has since gone through several distinct “waves” of popularity. Essentially, slam poetry is poetry that is performed either at poetry slams or at other types of literary events. A slam poem is performed for an audience that typically includes many other people than just the participants in the event. This is in contrast to the “closed door” or “private show” poetry festivals that were popularized in the 1950s and 1960s and which featured only an audience of select individuals.
Slam poetry is often characterized by its use of language and by its confrontation of ideas. The language in slam poetry can be very challenging, and this, in part, is why it is often associated with a very specific type of audience – people who are either already very adept at speaking or who are specifically looking to increase their vocabulary. These are the types of individuals who would appreciate a poem that uses words that they do not normally use in everyday speech.
The language in slam poetry ranges from very simple to very complex, and the uses of words varies widely – from “rhyming slang” (a type of jargon, or informal language, used in some styles of hip hop and rap music) to extremely abstract and difficult-to-define words and phrases (some of which are unprintable here). Some even go so far as to say that you do not need to be a genius to understand and appreciate slam poetry, arguing that anyone can learn to appreciate and understand slam poetry – it just takes a bit of open-mindedness and a willingness to learn new words and concepts.